Lunch-box



(No Model.)

W. PELSTEAD,

LUNCH-BOX.

No. 277,251. Patented'May 8,1883.

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UNITED STATES LUNCH-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 277,251, dated May 8, 1883.

A Application tiled March 31,1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WLLLIAM FELSTEAD, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, haveinvented certain Improvements in Lunch-Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide a lunch-box composed of a bottom, top, side, and end pieces capable of being entirely separated from each other, so that they can be packed in small compass, and ot' being easily connected, so as to form abox quite as strong as it' the parts thereof were permanently united.

To this end myinvention consists in the iinprovements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure l represents a perspective view of my improved box. Figs. 2, 3, and 4 represent sections on lines x x, y y, and z z, Fig. 1.

The same letters of reference indicate the sam'e parts in all the figures.

My improved box is composed of the bottom piece, c, bent upwardly at its opposite longitudinal edges to form hooked flanges a a,.the side pieces, b b, bent at their lower edges to formed hooked flanges b b', and at their ends to form vertical hooked flanges 112192, and formed with outwardly-'projecting beads b3 b3 at their' upper edges, the end pieces, c c, bent at-their ends to form hooked flan ges c c', and the cover d, having its opposite edges curved downwardly to form flanges d d', partially embracing the beads b3 of the side pieces.

The described parts are secured together to form a box by inserting the ends of the hooked flanges b of the side pieces into the ends of the hooked ilanges a of the bottom `piece and sliding the side pieces along until the flanges b are entirely contained in the flanges c', then inserting the flanges c' of the end pieces, c, in the end flanges, b2, of the side pieces in the same manner, and tinally sliding the cover to place along the beads b3 b3. 1t will be observed that the connection of the edges of each piece to the edges of the adjoining pieces extends along the entire edge, so that there is no nn- |snpported point or points along any of the connected edges. The (2o-operating hooked lianges form what may be termed sliding locks,77 inasmuch as they permit the parts to slide freely on each other, and lock them, so that they cannot be moved laterally at any point along their connected edges. It will also be observed that each piece can be readily detached from the others, so that all can be packed compactly. The hooked flanges on the respective pieces serve to stiften said pieces and prevent them from bending.

I am aware that a lunch-box has been made in which the side pieces are hinged to the bottom and the end pieces are hinged to the side pieces. Such a construction, however, is not so strong as mine, particularly at the ends and corners of the box, and the box cannot be so closely packed as mine on account ot' the liability of the sides to bulge outwardly.

I claim- 1. A separable lunch-box composed of the top,bottom, side, and end pieces,t'ormed with interlocking bent flanges extending along their edges and forming sliding locks, each ilange being adapted to be secured to the co-operatV ing flange by a longitudinal movement, as set forth.-

2. The combination ot the bottom piece, a,

having at its edges the bent llanges c a', the

side pieces, b, having at their lower edges the bent anges b b', adapted to engage with the anges c a of the bottom, at their ends the Vbent flanges b2 b2, and at their upper edges the beads b3 b3, the end pieces, c c, having at their ends the iianges c c', adapted to engage with the anges b2 b2 of the side pieces, and the cover d, having curved ilanges d.' d', adapted to engage with the beads b3 b3 of the side pieces, b, as set forth. g

ln testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specilication, in the presence ot' two subscribing witnesses, this'28th day of March, 1883.

WILLIAM FELSTEAD.

Witnesses:

G. F. BROWN, A. L. WHTTE. 

